[ 較短版 ]
This morning, seeing the warm sunlight flood into the living room, Dad said, “What a beautiful day! Let’s go on a long-expected family trip.” Mom and I let out shouts of joy. After finishing packing, Mom and I handed all the luggage to Dad and he put it into the car trunk. Off we went to embark on our exciting adventure.

Twenty minutes into our trip, we were stuck in a severe traffic jam. Hundreds of cars stranded on the highway formed a winding dragon and transformed the road into a big parking lot. It turned out that a taxi collided with a truck. Getting out of their damaged vehicles, the two drivers erupted into a fierce argument over who should be held accountable for the unpleasant incident and most importantly the compensation. After hours of sitting in a barely moving line of traffic, some impatient drivers kept sounding their horns while others groaned, shouted insults, and yelled, “Move your cars to the road shoulder. Don’t get in our way and waste our precious time.” Hearing that, the embarassed drivers apologized to everyone for the incovenience they had caused and had their cars towed away. After the farce came to an end, we got on the road again. One hour later, we arrived at our destination – the Taipei Zoo- only to find a vast sea of visitors flocking in front of the main gate. I shook my head in disbelief.

An idea flashed into my mind. Instead of waiting in the seemingly endless line and squeezing through the entrance to join the birthday party of Yuan Zai, the lovely baby panda, I suggested my parents to go picnicking at the nearby riverside park. Wandering around for a while, we finally chose a shading patch of grass under a tree as our ideal picnic spot. Dad and I went to buy some cold drinks while Mom half-opened the lids of the food containers to prevent the sandwiches from going soggy. The ketchup and salad dressing made Mom’s hands sticky so she went to the restroom to clean herself up. As all of us were away, the delicious smell drifting in the air tempted the hungry monkey down. After stuffing a big plastic bag with apples and his favorite snacks, the greedy animal grabbed his rewards, climbed back to the tree and hid in the branches.

Returning to the picnic site, we were shocked to see the basket empty and the blanket in a terrible mess. Suddenly, I was hit hard on the head by the apple cores coming from out of nowhere. Looking up, we saw a monkey flashing a naughty grin and making faces at us. We came to realize it was the monkey that stole our food and ruined our picnic. Rather than hunting down the “shameless thief,” we looked at each other and burst into roaring laughter. This episode did make our outing unforgettable.

[ 較長版 ]

As a senior, I spent every waking moment burying myself in piles of books to excel in the college entrance exam. Meanwhile, my parents, both of whom had a tight schedule, seldom went back home before 2 a.m. Therefore, we barely have time to hang out together, engage in an interesting conversation or sat at the table to feast on delicacies. This morning, seeing the warm sunlight flood into the living room, Dad said, “What a beautiful day! Let’s go on a long-expected family trip.” Mom and I let out shouts of joy. After finishing packing, Mom and I handed all the luggage to Dad and he put it into the car trunk. Off we went to embark on our exciting adventure.

Twenty minutes into our trip, we were stuck in a severe traffic jam. Hundreds of cars stranded on the highway formed a winding dragon and transformed the road into a big parking lot. It turned out that a taxi collided with a truck. Getting out of their damaged vehicles, the two drivers erupted into a fierce argument over who should be held accountable for the unpleasant incident and most importantly the compensation. After hours of sitting in a barely moving line of traffic, some impatient drivers kept sounding their horns while others groaned, shouted insults, and yelled, “Move your cars to the road shoulder. Don’t get in our way and waste our precious time.” Hearing that, the embarrassed drivers apologized to everyone for the inconvenience they had caused and had their cars towed away. After the farce came to an end, we got on the road again. One hour later, we arrived at our destination – the Taipei Zoo- only to find a vast sea of visitors flocking in front of the main gate.

Not wanting to wait in the seemingly endless line, I shook my head in disbelief and looked down at the heavy picnic basket in my hand. Right at this moment, an idea flashed into my mind. Instead of squeezing through the entrance to join the birthday party of Yuanzi, the lovely baby panda, I suggested my parents to go picnicking at the nearby riverside park. Wandering around for a while, we finally chose a shading patch of grass under a tree as our ideal picnic spot. When Mom spread the picnic blanket, I told her that I forgot to bring my favorite black tea and Dad and I would like to buy some in the nearby convenience store. Mom replied, “Go ahead,” while she half-opened the lids of the food containers to prevent the sandwiches and hamburgers from going soggy. The ketchup and salad dressing made her hands sticky so she went to the restroom to clean herself up. As all of us were away, a gust of strong wind blew all the lids away. The delicious smell drifting in the air tempted the hungry monkey down. The greedy animal scrambled to stuff the big plastic bag with apples, chicken pies, and chocolate cakes. Unable to resist the temptation of the ripe bananas, he even stopped to eat some. Feeling content, the monkey grabbed the heavy bag, climbed back to the tree and hid in the branches.

As we returned to the picnic site, we were shocked to see the basket empty and the blanket in a terrible mess. When we wondered what had happened, I was hit hard on the head by the apple cores coming from out of nowhere. Looking up, we saw a monkey flashing a naughty grin and making faces at us. We came to realize it was the monkey that stole our food and ruined our picnic. Dad and I ran after the “shameless thief,” trying to get back some of our foods, but our half-hour hunt ended in failure. Hearing her stomach growling loud, Mom said, “I know there is a famous restaurant just across the street. How about having lunch there?” I nodded in silent agreement, looking quite exhausted. Today just wasn’t our day!